Englischer Fussball Bund - 03/04 (EFB-03/04)

[rouchie]

Woo Hoo! Just ordered my broadband! should be all set up in the next couple of weeks! no more 3 hour downloads for the final, final, no honest it really is this time, final patch!

[rouchie]

and that was my final final post on the subject, honest!

[Goldy]

*** EFB Zeitung ***

Finally the end of the season has come upon us, there have been highs and lows for all the managers involved in this game. Thankfully more highs than lows, some managers have enjoyed great cup runs, where as others have failed at the first hurdle, anyhow, below is how the season finished and how the game stands at the current moment.

The season finishing results......

FA Barclaycard Premiership

With of course no human manager starting in the premiership you would think it would end up being very boring, I can assure you it was just as exciting as it would have been if human managers were involved, despite it being more or less a one team show at the top.

Well the defending champions are once again the champions, leading since almost the start of the season there was no looking back, they managed to build up a small lead which helped them win the title, they were closely followed by Newcastle and Spurs who both snatch up a champions league spot, also joining them is Arsenal who snatched fourth place from Portsmouth who now go into the Uefa Cup. At the bottom half of the the table it was very close indeed, Wolves and Blackburn both manageing to avoid relegation, unfortunately, Leicester, Charlton and Bolton are the teams which face the dreaded drop to Division 1 and make space for the newly promoted teams.

The golden boot winner for the 2003/04 season is none other than Tottenham's very own Fredi Kanoute, with a total of 29 goals he finishes top of the heap, In second place with 27 goals is Alan Smith (Leeds) and then in third place is Arsenal's Thierry Henry on 21 goals.

Every team needs someone that creates and assists goals, this seasons winner is once again from Spurs, its none other than Simon Davies with a staggering 18 assissts, Second place goes to Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd) with 13 assists, he's closely followed by Toffee midfielder Thomas Gravesen who made 12assists.

There are always players who stand out from the crowd, this season the honour goes to Thierry Henry, he Arsenal striker has made some fantastic performances and therefore leads the Average Rating table, he's followed by Chelsea's Adrian Mutu and then Man Utd's young gun Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nationwide Division 1

Well it was Paul Rouch and his West Ham who planned to spear head the first division and bring back top flight football to Upton Park, can the Hammers knock out the rest of the competition?

Wanting a swift return to the top was the aim for both West Ham and West Brom, well new West Ham manager Paul Roach certainly gave the fans what they wished for as he guided his side to the taste of champagne and took the Division One title by storm with a staggering 102points, way behind in second place was West Brom who easily took the second automatic promotion spot.

Well there was one more place up for grabs and this was decided in the play offs, qualifying for the place offs were Coventry, Cardiff, Norwich and Derby. The games were all very close but there could only be one winner, this seasons play off winners and returning to top flight football are The Rams, Derby County.

There was also a lot of action at the bottom half of the table but eventually it showed who was good enough for the first division and who was out of there depth, the three relegation places were taken up by Wigan, Ipswich and Reading, closely avoiding the drop to Division 2 were Rotherham and Watford.

There were many goals this season in Division 1 and there is one man who scored almost double what every other striker could manage, the well deserved Golden Boot winner this season is the on-loan goal king at West Ham Massimo Maccarone with a massive 41 goals. He's followed by 28 goals from Paul McVeigh (Norwich) and West Brom's Daniel Braathen with 26 goals.

A lot of goals don't come by themselves and are assisted in a team effort, West Ham certainly showed that with four of their players in the top six of the assists rankings, leading the way is another on-loan star at West Ham, Richie Partridge made 20 assists, he's followed by Derby's Lee Morris with 16 and the golden boot winner Massimo Maccarone in third with 15 assists to his name.

Richie Partridge made it a double as he also leads the table for Average Ratings, his creativity made him turn games for West Ham and truly deserves this first place, he's followed by West Brom striker Daniel Braathen and then another top performer at West Ham in Kjell Andre Thu in third place.

Nationwide Division 2

We have both Edan and Mark taking part in this league, since the last edition a lot of things happened to both clubs, lets see how they finished the season....

Well the two automatic promotion spots saw both teams score over 100 points and of course get their promotion, it wasnt all plain sailing though as Mark's QPR side put up a good fight and only lost out by three points. But it means that Rushden and Brighton automatically go into Division 1. Edan's Peterborough managed to pick up some form after a dreadful start to the season, they finished in a compfy mid table position of 11th place.

Although QPR have made it into the play offs, following them is Bristol City, Sheff Wed and Chesterfield, after some very hard fought ties it was QPR who made the best of their opportunities and took the play off title to also promote them to the first division.

It was very close also at the other half of the table and of course all teams tried their best to try and avoid the drop to division three, however, Luton, Hartlepool, Port Vale and Wrexham were just not good enough to surive and are therefore relegated.

There must be something in the air as another on-loan striker managed to get the Golden Boot, this seasons winner is Cherno Samba with 37 goals for QPR, he's followed by Onandi Lowe (Rushden) with 35 goals and then another QPR striker Porarinn Brunjar Kristjansson with 28 goals.

The most assists in division 2 were made by Rushden's Paul Hall who made 23 assists, he was followed by QPR's Porarinn Brunjar Kristjansson with 19assists, in third place it was Chesterfield's Gareth Davies with 16assists.

There were some top performances in the second division but one stood out from the crowd which once again involved a QPR player and third time lucky for Porarinn Brunjar Kristjansson, other good performances were made by Onandi Lowe of Rushden and once again on-loan Golden Boot winner, Cherno Samba.

Nationwide Division 3

It was Andrew Hepburn taking on the elite of the Third Division with his Hull side, could the Tigers roar to success?

Well they certainly did reach the summit of the third division and take the title in style, they made hard work of it but managed to make their small lead count and get their promotion to the second division, the other two automatic spots were taken up by Cheltenham and Torquay.

It was also a tough battle for the play off places but it eventually saw Doncaster, Swansea,Southend and Lincoln compete for the final promotion spot, it was Lincoln who took the honours and won the play offs.

With the new system in place it would mean that two sides can get relegated from the third division, the last place was easily taken up by Kidderminster as they just wernt good enough for this league, they were followed by Macclesfield who had a tough battle with Darlington and Yeovil.

Hull's good form was helped by Danny Allsopp who just couldnt stop banging them in for the Tigers, he rightfully earned the Golden Boot with 32 goals, he was followed by James Thomas (Swansea) with 24goals and then Cambridge's Dave Kitson with 23 goals.

With the amount of goals flying in for the Tigers it showed that their team isnt just a one man show as they dominate the assists rankings, in first place is Paulinho with 20 assists and he is followed in a joint 2nd place by his team mates Danny Allsopp and Stuart Elliot with 17 assists each.

Danny Allsopp was everywhere and his perfomances means he is the winner of having the best Average Ratings in the league, again its a Hull domination as he's followed by Stuart Elliot and Richie Appleby who also had very high average ratings.

Nationwide Conference

Trying to get out of the conference and into the football league are Accrington Stanley managed by Gaz Jenkinson and Stevenage Borough managed by Steve Gold, can they make it to the big time?

Well it was just about the complete domination of Stevenage in the conference, with a fantastic run of being unbeaten certainly helped them crown themselves the champions of the conference and finally reach the football league. They was another promotion spot available via the play offs, it saw Dag & Red, Woking, Halifax and Aldershot take part, with good form at the end of the season it was Woking who took the honours and join Stevenage in the third division next season.

Accrington have had a very mixed season with spells of good football and then unfortunately spells with dreadful defending which cost them a lot of games this season, they finished in a good 12th place, further below and getting relegated from the conference are Morecambe, Leigh RMI & Tamworth, they were just not good enough and conceded too many goals.

Well with complete domination it is to no suprise that the leading goal scorer comes from Stevenage, the Golden Boot goes to young gun Chris Humphreys who got 34 goals, he's followed by Chester's KEvin Rapley with 29 goals and Aldershots's Tim Sills also with 29 goals.

The Stevenage domination is also in the assists rankings as Scott Huckerby leads the way with 19 assists, he's followed by the Golden Boot winner Chris Humphreys who has 18 assists, finally in third place is Neil Critchely (Dag & Red) with 17 assists.

With fantastic displays all over the pitch and a repeat of the Assists results, Scott Huckerby's amazing form see's him lead the Average Rating chart followed once again by team mate Chris Humphreys and then Tony Taggart of Barnet.

Community Shield

It was the season opener, it see's Man Utd take on Arsenal at the Millennium stadium infront of 72,000 fans.

It was a tight game until just after the half time break Arsenal enjoyed a spell of domination which saw goals from Henry (49mins) and Wiltord (50mins). Man Utd did reply to that but it was far too late when Forlan netted (90mins).

Full Time : Man Utd 1 : 2 Arsenal

League Cup

The league cup saw most managers involved fall at the first hurdle, however, Mark Brown's QPR side managed to get to the 4th round where they got beaten by Middlesborough despite being the better team on the day.

Well, the competition went on and it saw a jam packed Millennium Stadium for the League Cup final, it was Man Utd vs Chelsea.

There could only be one winner and it went to the Premiership Champions Man Utd who completely thrashed a poor Chelsea side. Despite Chelsea taking a lead through Mutu (3 mins) the reply from Man Utd came from Ruud van Nistelrooy(69mins), Forlan (76mins) and a brace by none other than young starlet Cristiano Ronaldo(88,90mins).

Full Time : Man Utd 4 : 1 Chelsea

FA Cup

There was still magic in the FA Cup as Stevenage showed by getting the furthest out of all the managers in this prestigous cup.

The magic continued as first division side Bradford City managed to get all the way to the final, joining them though were top Premiership Newcastle who certainly wanted to finish on a high for the season.

But Magic was once again on hand as Bradford beat the Magpies with ease, having Andy O'Brian sent off(45mins) didn't help Newcastle's cause and seeing goals from Paul Evans(47mins) and a late minute penalty by Ben Muirhead(Pen90mins) go past them made sure they went home with nothing.

Full Time : Bradford City 2 : 0 Newcastle United

Vans Trophy

The Millennium stadium now a very popular place it hosted yet another final, this time round the Van Trophy final which saw Sheffield Wednesday take on Bristol City.

It certainly was a close game which saw Bristol City take the lead with a goal from Christian Roberts (32mins). It was cancelled out though by Adam Proudlock (59mins) in the second half.

It was a stalement after 90mins and so it brought on extra time, but saving the match going to penalties was Bristol City striker Leroy Lita(100mins) who notched the winner to take the silverware home.

Full Time : Sheff Wed 1 : 2 Bristol City (after extra time)

FA Trophy

Its come to the FA Trophy final, the competition for the lower league teams to make a name for themselves, this seasons final was to see conference Champions Stevenage battle it out against Play off winners Woking.

It was all the way a one team affair as Stevenage ripped through the Woking defence with ease, however, despite the numerous chances that Stevenage did create it only saw a goal at the end of each half with Huckerby getting the first just before half time (45mins) and then club captain Juliusson (90mins) knocking in the winner and rounding the victory off.

Full Time : Stevenage 2 : 0 Woking

Champions League

Take the best teams of Europe, put them into groups of four and then the qualifers into a knock out phase and you got the perfect competition to see who's the best of the best.

Well it was all action and the final was an all Italian affair, AC Milan took on fellow Seria A side Lazio, it was a very tight game that was eventually won by the defending champions AC Milan who eventually made it five goals in extra time.

Full Time : AC Milan 5 : 3 Lazio (after extra time)

Head to Head

Well they have faced each other before and it was time for them to play against one another for one more time this season.

It was the return leg of Mark vs Edan,QPR vs Peterborough.

The first encounter saw Mark's QPR beat Edan's Peterborough, however, this second leg saw Edan reverse that defeat and beat Mark.

The second clash saw Accrington take on Stevenage, Well Accrington certainly imporved for the second encounter between these two sides but unfortunately it was not enough as Stevenage once again made it a one team affair and thrashed their opponents.

Manager Profiles (End Of Season :Season 1)

Well what are the scores on the board, each manager has had success in their own right but actually how well have they done, below are the details of how our managers have got on after the very first season.

West Ham : Paul Rouch aka rouchie

QPR : Mark Brown aka mebubcat

Peterborough : Edan Waldman aka edan217Edan Waldman aka edan217

Hull : Andrew Hepburn aka Andy H

Accrington : Gareth Jenkinson aka gazjuk

Stevenage : Stephen Gold aka Goldy

You may have to copy and paste the links to view the screenshot, the website for all screenshots, some not included in the Zeitung can be found at : http://www.geocities.com/efbmk2/

[This message was edited by Goldy on 07 January 2004 at 20:17.]

[rouchie]

Nice job Steve Roll on season 2!!

[Guest]

As per usual steve top notch , keep it up

[rouchie]

Andy, are we back on for tonight m8? If iI have to wait much longer I may have to turn to drink Too Late (by about 25 years!)

[dogs]

Steve alot of us, me included, could learn from your season end summary style. Top notch

[Andy H]

*************************ANNOUNCEMENT*******************

After the Christmas and New Year festivities sees the return of EFB 03/04 tonight. T&T from 8pm for a 8.30pm kick off and finishing at 11.30pm. Hope to see all members of EFB there and ready for some pre season action. What could happen in tonight's session?? Well here are some maybe scenarios:

Will rouchie buy big in an attempt to win the Premiership?

Will gaz stay for a whole session for once??

Will Hepburn create a division 2 super team?

Will Mark also buy big to win division 1?

Just a few things that may happen in EFB tonight.

[Guest]

Glad it is back tonight andy , in terms of buying big it will have to be literally as 50k is not going to buy me the division 1 title or save me from relegation, so down to loan signings to make a fight of it me thinks

[Goldy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mr X:

Steve alot of us, me included, could learn from your season end summary style. Top notch <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks everyone, I try to improve the zeitung every time I do it and its seen many different styles over the past couple of years of play.

I enjoy writing it and If i didnt, i wouldnt do it, if there's ever anything you think could be changed, added etc just drop me a line

We're open a little earlier tonight 7:30pm, its been such a long winter break and it will give us some extra time to do the T&T which my team needs

You don't have to come as the session will resume normal time.

50k Mark, i wish I had that much

[gazjuk]

Good luck tonight lads. looking forward to getting more involved this season and hopefully a promotion!!

*wakes up*

[Andy H]

Read all about it, Read all about it Ritchie Partridge today signed for Hull in a 14k deal snubbing premiership team West Ham and Peterbrough. It was thought Partridge did not take too kindly to West Ham manager Paul Rouch's excessive drinking. Hull manager Hepburn is said to be ecstatic with Partridge's decision to become a Hull player.

[rouchie]

2004-2005 Season Preview - Or as Joe Cocker would say – “Up Where We Belongâ€

With promotion attained and a bank balance over 8 million the West Ham board were their typical ambitious and generous selves and gave me 780k and expect me to bravely battle against relegation! I am already 43K pw over the wage budget and that’s before I sign anyone! This meant I had to continue my financial juggling and ensure any money spent was kept to a minimum, while adding value to the squad.

Using my talent of a keen eye for emerging Harrods talent at Tesco prices I signed Lionel Morgan from Wimbledon for £375k taking advantage of Wimbledon’s financial plight, but blowing half my budget in one go! I then managed to pinch Sunday Oliseh on a free from Dortmund, which I was very pleased about as I felt his recent international retirement could have a revitalising effect on his club career in much the same way it has for Shearer. I then looked at the loan market and persuaded another Nigerian international, Haruna Babangida to join us for a season with Barca continuing to cover his wages J PSV’s Ji-Sung Park was the next player to agree to join the Hammers on loan from PSV, although a wait for the work permit is required, which is duly provided, PSV kindly agree to carry on paying all his wage while I give him some first team experience in the premiership.. Per Morten Kristiansen came in as a back up keeper for a fee of £40k from Moss and Mattias Asper on a free joining on 1st November as my number 2 to David James (I remember when he was a CM goalkeeping god!, which is probably why I signed him) Andy H is obviously handing over brown envelopes stuffed with cash in motorway cafes as he steals Richie Partridge (last seasons star loan signing at West Ham) from under my nose! Obviously Partridge does not relish the prospect of top flight football so goes to Hull instead L. Shola Ameobi joined me from the black and white of Newcastle to add potency to my attack on a season long loan, again with the Geordies paying all his wages for me J The expectation is that he will provide the goals at the same frequency as last seasons loan signing Massimo Maccarone did. No pressure there then! . My team were still looking a little light defensively so some back up cover was the next priority, Stephen Caldwell , a loan signing in our promotion winning season, is available on a free and is quickly snapped up. My final loan signing was the under-rated young defender Petri Pasanen from Ajax.

I try to offload some of the deadwood, especially Hutchison who has stitched me up good and proper by deciding not to retire! Bah! Unfortunately, no one wants the overpaid lump who is my highest paid waste of space by far, I cant even give him away! Shaun Byrne and Daryl McMahon are released on a free as their contracts expire, and the inept Bosnich, my only bad signing so far is put on the transfer list, but there is no real expectation of selling him.

The team is now ready for the rigours of the pre season friendlies, to prepare them for the batlles to come in the top flight. Paul Rouch, The West Ham manager who has honed a good reputation by gaining promotion with the Hammers at the first attempt is now looking to pit his managerial skills against the Premiership big boys

[Goldy]

**Planet Stevenage**

Welcome to Planet Stevenage, the only place where you'll find information about the going-ons at Stevenage.

It was a fantastic debut season for manager Stephen Gold, he did the unthinkable for the club in bringing home The Double, winning the conference with ease and then taking the FA Trophy in style while also enjoying a very good FA Cup run.

Gold was of course extremely thrilled with the success in such a short time and said "It was a wonderful effort by the whole team throughout the whole season but there were some special performers by some players which were Matthews, Humphreyes and Juliusson, without them we certainly wouldnt have done as good as we did"

Well they did celebrate their success into season break but not for long, Gold was ready to get back down to business and started looking for some new prospects to help out the squad in their assaut for third division football.

The board have given only a very small amount of transfer fee's in 16k, ideally it could be more but the financial future has to be secure, wages are also very restricted, at best, £210 a week is the best we can give.

The search was long, from Scotland to Africa to America, Asia and South America, some potential players were found but the wage restriction stopped a lot of very talented players coming to us.

So we had to do with what we got, with the money we had, we spent it all on a young, rising star from Iceland, Porarisson (sp) comes in, an 18yr old striker with massive potential, he will boost our current strike force and is one for the future.

Along with him we just made some free transfers, we required a keeper so we got a young 17yr old who had just left Man Utd Cronckett, again with a lot of potential, there was more to come from United as we also signed right back Lee Sims and pacey striker David Poole, both come highly recommend. We also signed Briscoe from Sheff Wed for defensive cover.

We made a couple more free transfers but they are more fill in players incase we start getting an injury crisis.

The aims for the season ahead will be to avoid relegation just as the Board have indicated, my personal aim will be mid-table.

We'll also be aiming for good cup runs in all the cups we're involved in, Vans, League Cup and FA Cup, this should help out financial situation quite a lot, especially if we progress far in the FA Cup.

I wish everyone all the best for the new season ahead and that everyone again has a lot of success, bring on season 2

[Andy H]

Good update rouchie.

Oh did I tell you all that I got Ritchie Partridge for 14K ahead of Premiership newboys West Ham!!!

You just can't beat quality.

[rouchie]

Andy, you can't beat cash in hand you mean!

[rouchie]

Hot News!!!

My Broadband is enabled and my broadband kit is scheduled to be with me tomorrow! by the time we play Thursday I should be running on 10x bb!! *West Ham Fans stand shocked and amused as their esteemed and adored Manager Paul Rouch dances a little jig in front of the boleyn towers!

[Goldy]

Wahay for Rouchie........probably another 4 years before they consider BB here though

Well don't forget everyone, later start than normal tonight. Should begin the season tonight too

[rouchie]

The Hammers had a successful preseason beating, amongst others, Scottish giants Rangers, and established Premiership team, the cottagers, Fulham. West Ham remained unbeaten throughout preseason, and cofidence was high as the opening premiership fixture against Liverpool at Anfield approached. The bookies revealed their odds for the coming season and West Ham were clearly rated as relegation favourites with odds of 100-1 to win the championship. Surely the wannabe winner scousers would teach the cockney boys where they really belonged! All will be revealed in the next instalment of the Upton Park memoirs of yours truly, the esteemed, and some say stunningly good looking youthful manager Paul Rouch! Appearing in this thread, and this thread only!

[Andy H]

And everyone else is prolly saying, "thank feck he doesn't post anyhwere else".

Youthful - no chance

Rangers as Scottish giants - More like minnows

esteemed - by whom???

West Ham for the drop - unfortunately not

A squash victory does not mean you can drink more!! It has to stop, your losing your marbles quicker than gaz falls alseep during a session of EFB!!!

[Andy H]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Goldy:

Wahay for Rouchie........probably another 4 years before they consider BB here though

Well don't forget everyone, later start than normal tonight. Should begin the season tonight too <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Get up off your lazy @rse Gold and put the satellite up yourself!!!

[rouchie]

Well at least you agree I am stunningly good looking Andy! I bet you would be higher than 33%!!

[Andy H]

Give me the link to that test that you and gaz took and I bet I will be lower than even you oh wise one.

I cannot comment on your looks as I have never seen you before. Bet you are ugly though

[rouchie]

Up where we belong – 04/05

21st August 2004 – Liverpool (A)

West Hams first game in the top flight is last years FA cup opponents at Anfield again. Liverpool edged the hammers out last season in a very tight encounter which saw Liverpool run out 2-1 winners. This time however, West Ham refused to lie down and David Connolly scored both in a surprisingly easy 2-0 victory to give West Ham the ideal start to their season. Chants of “we’re staying up†could be heard as the West Ham faithful expressed their glee at the result!

25th August 2004 – Aston Villa (H)

The Villans up next at the Boleyn, the Clarets Vs The Clarets! Defoe and Connolly put away the chances to ensure a 2-0 lead at half time , Connolly added another 2 to grab his hatrick in the 2nd half, to make it a comfortable 4-1 at Half Time, 2nd to Manyoo on GD!

28th September 2004 Man City (A)

As we neared September our next opponent was the blue side of Manchester at the City of Manchester Stadium, An early Defoe strike was countered by Reyna, and the second half started level at 1-1 but Defoe soon showed his class hitting a further 3 and carrick adding another to city’s sole reply via ex hammer favourite Sinclair to leave the final score 5-2 and West Ham top of the pile!

The young West Ham Manager, Paul Rouch , can hardly believe the start the Hammers have made in their return to the premiership! 3 wins from 3 and top of the table! The relegation favourites are surely at the wrong end of the table!!

[gazjuk]

Pre season thought’s from Accrington manager Jenkinson:-

A good pre-season on the training ground which wasn’t really showen at the start of pre-season games. A loss at home to Yeovil 3-1, and losing away 4-2 at Bristol Rover, although the team did show a bit of promise during the game. Then coming away with a good 4-0 win Vs Torquay at home showed we did have the skill and determination in the team to get the results.

Start of the season

Chester Vs Accrington- Conference

Chester took the game to a poor Stanley team. A goal on 36 mins for Chester was always on the cards as they dominated play and Stanley never got started. A goal on 86 mins seemed to be enough to get a undeserved point for Jenkinson’s team but a 90th min goal by Kevin Rapley gave Chester the 3 points they deserved.

Accrington Vs Kidderminster- Conference

It took Stanley till just after half time to coast past Kidderminster. The game included the first 2 goal in 15 mins for new signing Damien Hindle to score take his total to 3 goals in 2 games for Accrington. Peter Ramage scored just after half time to put the game out of the reach of the Kidderminster.

Barnet Vs Accrington- Conference

Stanley started the game slowly with Barnet having a lot of chance narrowly missing the Accrington goal. Then on 14 mins the break through came as Ricky Newman’s through ball was cut out and the rebound fell to Andrew Waine who made no mistake with the finish. Stanley then put the pressure on Barnet’s defense but it took until the 73rd minute when a ball over the top was controlled with great skill by Justin Jackson and then slotted the ball home to seal the victory for Jenkinson’s men.

Accrington Vs Northwich Victoria- Conference

A good save by Stanley keeper from a power full shot from the edge of the area was the first action of the game after about 30 mins as both team defended tight.the first real opportunity in the game fell to Damien Hindle who was 1 on 1 with the Northwich keeper who made a superb save from Hindle’s side footed effort. The best chance of the game fell to Sean Devlin with his first shoot which was straight at the keeper. Stanley did manage to get the 3 points when a Newton corner was met by the head of Andy Waine on 90 mins.

Shrewsbury Vs Accrington- Conference

A free-kick from Rogers brought a good save from Richard Senior the Stanley keeper early on. Then after a lot of pressure Shrewsbury managed to get a deserved opening goal on 64 mins which was scored and created by Colin Cramb. An Accrington free kick swung into the area eventually fell to Newman who shot over the bar. The shrews then sealed the game with a counter attack which ended with Jones heading in from close range for Shrewsbury.

[Andy H]

HULL PRE SEASON AND EARLY SEASON PROGRESS

Well after securing the third division title Hepburn went about his business during the summer trying to create a second division super team. The end result was the it did not quite happen unfortunately. During the summer Hepburn did manage to accquire a few new signings. Here is the rundown below:

Transfers With Fees

- Ritchie Partridge from Liverpool (AM/RL - 14K - Took him from under rouchie's nose

- Ben Strevens from Barnet (SC) - 100K

- Jobi McAnuff from Wimbledon (AMR) - 150K

Free Transfers

Joe Murphy (GK)

Mark Lynch (D/MR)

It really was a summer of frustration for Hepburn as many of his top targets rejected the tigers in favour of more money elsewhere. Although he does have a squad that will be able to do some damage throughout this season.

Onto the new season and for Hull's first game in Division 2 saw them at home against Oldham. What an opener for Hull as they stormed to a 4-1 win with goals from Danny Forde own goal, a debut goal from the brilliant Partridge (remember him rouchie? ) and a double for Stuart Elliot sealed a fantastic win for Hull and put them top of the league.

Next up was a tricky away tie in the League Cup at Blackpool. Before the game tragedy struck Hull as it was announced that sensational new signing Ritchie Partridge would be out for 2 months with a torn groin and this seemed to affect the Hull players greatly. It was a lacklustre Hull side who lost 3-2 on the night but it could have been a lot worse if it had not been for the sensational Alan Fettis in goal for Hull. Twice Hull pegged back Blackpool but in the end they just did not put in enough hard work to merit the victory.

Hepburn then had the task of picking his players back up after that disappointment of the midweek loss at Blackpool for the visit of reading to The Circle. This proved to be a much different Hull side as they were out of the blocks quickly harrassing and pressing a bemused Reading side who had done so well here last season in the FA Cup to get a draw. Not this time as Hull ran out 5-1 winners. A Danny Allsopp hatrick helped Hull on their way as well as an own goal from Darren Campbell and a first goal for Ben Strevens. It was a fantastic performance for the tigers.

Next up was their first away trip of the season to Bournemouth. Hull started like an express train going 3-0 up within 15 minutes and everything was going fine. What happened next was unbelievable. Just before half time Hull left back Scott Jones received a red card for an elbowing incident off the ball. Bournemouth came out for the second half pumped up and really took the game to Hull. The end result was going from a position of total control Hull decided to self destruct letting in three second half goals to give Bournemouth a draw which in the end they deserved.

Next up was a tricky game against Ipswich at Portman Road. Hull dominated a game back lack of finsihing cost them in the end as Hull took the lead through Stuart Elliot but were not able to build on the lead and let Ipswich score in the second half to snatch a draw.

Next up it was back to The Circle for a clash with Sheffield Wednesday. This was a scrappy affair with Hull coming out on top 2-1 with goals from Damien Delaney and an own goal by Derek Geary. Hull just couldn't get going in this game. The passing and movement just was not there as Sheffield Wednesday defended very well.

Next up was another draw away at Bristol City as Hull were outplayed after taking an early lead through Danny Allsopp.

Another draw then followed at home to Brentford as Hull's season has started to stutter a little with the defence in particular showing signs of weakness. Again Hull went ahead twice through goals from Scott Jones and of course Danny Allsopp. But a late equaliser denied Hull maximum points.

Early form has Hull in 5th place in the table six points behind early leaders Chesterfield but it is still very early in the season.

Hepburn is still looking to bring in players to strengthen his squad and is scouring the globe for talent as we speak.

[Andy H]

************************ANNOUNCEMENT*************

Lads, the game will be off tomorrow night 19/1 as I am going to stay with my girlfriend as she has an assessment and I am going to destress her in preparation.

Game will be back on the following night Tuesday at 9.30pm approx. Also could all members of EFB have the new patch 4.1.4 for Tuesday night as I feel it is time to move tot he most up to date version.

[Goldy]

Ok girl, let me relieve some of that stress for you, all we need is a rubber and a pencil

Good luck to her with her exams. Gives me some extra time to test some tactics out etc ready for Tuesday night

[rouchie]

Its a real shame about Partridge Andy 2 months eh ah well, I really missed out there then!!

[Andy H]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by rouchie:

Its a real shame about Partridge Andy 2 months eh ah well, I really missed out there then!!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would like to thank you for your heart felt concerns over the injury to my legend Ritchie Partridge. I hope you wish him a speedy recovery just like everyone else has done in the footballing world.

[rouchie]

Up where we belong – 04/05

Following on from the impressive return to the premiership in August which left West Ham top of the pile

4th September 2004 - Vs West Bromwich Albion (H)

An unbelievable game that matched the reality too closely for comfort! West Ham took an easy lead of 3 goals within 22 minutes, Defoe (2) and Connolly, but the baggies battled back to win 4-3, now where have I seen that before!! WBA Top of The Prem!

18th September 2004 - Vs Southampton (A)

After a superb start to the season soured by the defeat to unfancied fellow relegation candidates West Brom, The Saints were next up! Little J scored the opening goal on 10 minutes . Bertelsen added to this in the second half with Thu contributing 5 minutes later to take it to 3-0. Ormerod pulled one back for the Saints on 84, but it had no impact on the result as the Irons ran out 3-1 winners at St Mary’s. West Ham return to the leaderboard!

25th September 2004 - Vs Derby (H)

With West Ham flying high on their return to the top flight, the crowds expectation was high, and goals were expected in what was perceived to be one of the seasons easier games! With Connolly and Defoe scoring for fun and Ameobi eager on the subs bench the hammers boast a very hungry frontline! Jermaine started things off with a goal on 4 minutes, Hapless Derby then had Mulders miss a penalty on 18 minutes and so it remained until half time. Oliseh added to the West Ham score with his first for the club after 51 minutes and Ameobi scored his debut goal 10 minutes later. Landon Donovan gave Derby their only reply 10 minutes from the end to leave West Ham top of the premiership and passing round the tissues to clean up all those nosebleeds!

28th September 2004 - Vs Watford (H) – League Cup 2nd Round

Did Watford bring an attack to the League cup game?? Not one shot registered throughout! West Ham take there time and wait til the second half to open up their account against the first division side, With Shola Ameobi and Sunday Oliseh both adding to their debut goals in the last game, 2-0 the final score!

West Ham finish September top of the league, and I do mean THE league, and still in the league cup! The fans are in seventh heaven as the now established manager carries on the good work!

[Goldy]

Stevenage Planet

Well we're now into the football league and its certainly showing as the competition is a lot tougher and points are harder to come by, add this with more CM mess ups and your starting to get what our season is feeling like.

So it started well enough, a win on the opening day of the season, 2-0 vs Northampton.

It was onto the league cup, we won 3-1 vs Carlisle but then lost in the next round to the one and only Leeds Utd.

So continueing out league form, we managed two draws before going onto a win one,lose one for a few games.

Managed to turn things around though by changing tactics and winning 5-2 away to Woking and then thrashing Mansfield 8-0.

Things were going great, playing fantastic again, the match engine wasnt screwing us......and then came Oxford, we lose 3-1, they had 3 key moments, all ending up in a goal. We had loads of chances and when we did eventually score, the game rolled to a 35minute no key moments finish, bloody game!!.

With the current form we're now in 4th place in the league, should really be top despite only needing to avoid relegation.

Next session hopefully we can stop getting screwed less by the match engine and continue winning and be where we should be, on top of the rest

[dogs]

first it was Barnet, now it looks like Stevenage, i'm getting sick of these back to back promotion successes you get Goldmeister

[Goldy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mr X:

first it was Barnet, now it looks like Stevenage, i'm getting sick of these back to back promotion successes you get Goldmeister <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It was Boston then Barnet

Just cant help it, blame CM not me

[Guest]

QPR SEASON UPDATE

Transfer in :

Paul Burke (ucd) 45k

Borut semler Free

Kasper schmeichel 75k

Jermaine Johnson Free

Jeff Smith Free

Austin geraldo berry (herediano)40k

Roger helland (fredrikstad) 30k

Players out:

Lots of youth team players

Kevin Mcleod (millwall ) 150k

After a hectic pre-season the season dawned , hopes of a brave fight against relagation were banished after a fine start including 3 wins and draw in the first 4 games against crewe , bolton , millwall and walsall , then 5 wins out 6 , and another 6 wins out of 9 left us sitting in the top 2.

Many are questioning if this form can continue , but with brynjar kristjansson the chances are good , not happy with just scoring goal , he has been setting them up and playing regular well all season and leading the ave rating charts already. Other plus points include free signing borut semler who has scored 10 in 15 and an ave rating of 7.67 .

Will QPR manage to stay in contention or will they fade when i go on the pee next week at the nme tour , or will the assistant management team be able to muster a win they have not yet achieved this season.

[rouchie]

Up where we belong – 04/05

West Ham are now looking to keep the momentum going after a start that no one could have predicted, which sees them top of the Premiership, and still competing in the league cup! Michael Carrick came 3rd in the GOTM competition for his powerful effort from the edge of the area against Man City J

2nd October 2004 - Vs Leeds (H)

Connolly and Amebi were started up front with Defoe on the bench. Connolly took full advantage of his first start for 2 games and scored a piledriver on 34, Thu took the game to 2-0 on 43 just before half time. Ameobi exploded into life in the 2nd half with 2 stunners, and Connolly added to the travelling leeds supports humiliation sticking a 5th past the hapless Paul Robinson for good measure. 5-0 to the Claret and Blue against the once mighty Leeds!

9th October 2004 - Vs Fulham (A)

With confidence at an all time high and the fans fit to burst with pride, Fulham sitting firmly in the bottom 3, it seemed the ideal time to play this London Derby against the Harrods store card holders, True to the type of form West Ham fans have become familiar with over the years, a glorious start to the season was all but forgotten on 11 minutes when Lee Clark stepped up to take a harshly given penalty, David James saved only to see Clark net the rebound. 1-0 to the cottagers! This seemed to spark the Boleyn boys into life and Defoe pulled the hammers level 6 minutes later. 1-1 it remained until half time. David Connolly put the Hammers in fromnt 5 minutes after the restart and things started looking up! Then Bryan Hughes popped up and scored his first ever goal in the black and white for Fulham to level the scores at 2-2 which is how it stayed. A game the West Ham faithful were expecting to get all 3 points from left them all disappointed with an eventful draw.

23rd October 2004 - Vs Newcastle (A)

The Black and whites again, but this time we are visiting the Toon army at St James’s Park. It started badly, then got worse, Yakubu put the Geordies in front early on and doubled his tally before 20 minutes had passed, David Connolly done a remarkable impression of a dying swan in the penalty area and converted the resultant spot kick to give the travelling hammers fans a glimmer of hope, but then Van Bronkhurst restored the 2 goal buffer and half time arrived with the score at 2-1 to the magpies. On loan Toon boy Ameobi came on for the second half and went to work almost immediately bringing the score to 3-2 and setting the hearts of the crowd a flutter for differing reasons at each end! Then came a moment of magic which settled the game once and for all for the home team, Dyer intercepted a poor pass from Bertelsen on the half way line and proceeded to run and shimmy past the West Ham midfield and defence, stepped into the penalty area and shot the ball past James. Even the West Ham supporters had to admire that one, a definite Goal of the season candidate, let alone GOTM! 4-2 is how the game finished, with West Ham still hanging on at the top! Two games without a win with confidence ebbing and Arsenal visiting the Boleyn Ground next. Is this where the wheels start to fall off?

30th October 2004 - Vs Arsenal (H)

The visit of the Gunners to Upton Park is exactly the sort of fixture that the fans were yearning for after their year in the wilderness that is the Nationwide! Some might say be careful what you wish for….Although it was an evenly matched game with a similar amount of chances either end, The finishing of Henry was always going to be a contributory factor, he slotted home in the 26th minute, West Ham toiled to get back in it, but a dubious penalty decision saw Sol Campbell step up and convert the opportunity. 2-0 and west Ham no longer Top and entering a worrying run of three games without a win.

It’s a measure of how well West Ham have been doing that there is a feeling of disappointment from the team and the fans with West Ham now 4th in the league. The relegation favourites are occupying a champions league qualifying spot, and yet everyone is ****ed off!

[Andy H]

******************ANNOUNCEMENT**************

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest member back to EFB for the second time in Kristian Koprivnik. He was a member of the previous EFB and it is brilliant that he has decided to come out of retirement to play in EFB 03/04. All the best for the game mate. good to have you back.

[rouchie]

Up where we belong – 04/05

West Ham go into November without a win in 3 games and falling down the table, the League cup provided a welcome diversion and the possibility of a morale boosting win against 3rd division Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium (or a potential ego bruising !)

3rd November 2004 - Vs Bristol Rovers (A) – League Cup 3rd Round

David Connolly finds his scoring boots and waits until the 2nd minute to try them out, They work! 1-0! Bristol Rovers make their first excursion in to the West Ham half and manage a very unlikely equaliser completely against the run of play! Boo go the travelling fans!! David Connolly adds to his tally to take West Ham in to Half Time at 2-1 up. Sunday Oliseh adds to his 2 goals for the season so far to make it 3-1 which is how it remained to see West Ham through to the 4th Round

7th November 2004 - Vs Everton (A)

The Hammers remained on their travels but were unable to build on the mid week win as the went down 2-0 to the bluenoses with Gravesen and Stubbs doing the damage.

13th November 2004 - Vs Birmingham (H)

A rather small crowd turned out for this clash at the Boleyn, but after West Hams recent league form confidence in the team was not high! But you can bet the stay away fans wished they had come along as West Ham recorded their best ever victory beating hapless Brum 8-0! Connolly and Ameobi both grabbing hat tricks with Etherington and Thu adding to the tally! Total football came home to roost at Upton Park and the Boleyn faithful could not believe their eyes!

17th November 2004 - Vs Man Utd (A)

After the revelation against the Brummies, a trip to the shopping mall that is Old Trafford was next up to play London biggest team, Manure. Freddie Kanoute obviously felt no debt of gratitude to the team that brought him to the English Premiership as he waited until the 35th minute to open the scoring. 1-0 to the Corporate Cnuts at HT.RVN doubles the advantage on 63, Defoe raises the travelling fans hopes with a reply on 67 but this is short-lived as Manure turn the screw and pile on the pressure, eventually rewarded with the 3rd goal and RVN’s second on 80, and so it stays 3-1 and the Hammers revival splutters to a stall.

20th November 2004 - Vs Wolves (H)

The day following West Hams real life 3-1 victory at the Moulineux in the FA Cup 4th round, we play them in the premiership in CM. Things don’t go to plan as the Wolves wonder boy Kenny Miller (My Arce!) takes the lead for the gold and blacks straight from kick off. Defoe however, has other ideas and he draws the Irons level on 13 minutes then puts them in the driving seat, and in front with a 38th minute strike. 2-1 at half time. Alexei Smertin Draws the Golden Tits offspring level and a draw looks the likely result, especially when Cameron see’s his 74th minute penalty saved by James. Then in the 92nd minute up popped David Connolly to score the winner! 3-2 to the Mighty Hammers!

28th November 2004 - Vs Middlesborough (A)

A very dull affair at the riverside with only the goals from Connolly and Defoe brightening the day to give West Ham a 2-0 win which sees the hammers move into 5th position and end the month on the up after a dreadful start.

[rouchie]

Oh and Welcome Kris!

[Goldy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Andy H:

_******************ANNOUNCEMENT**************_

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest member back to EFB for the second time in Kristian Koprivnik. He was a member of the previous EFB and it is brilliant that he has decided to come out of retirement to play in EFB 03/04. All the best for the game mate. good to have you back. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep a big welcome back to one of EFB's former member in Kris, glad you rejoined us mate now that you've got the time to play.

Kris has taken charge at Leicester and will be aiming to get them back to the prem asap, good luck with your new team mate.

[Goldy]

I'm Going For a Run and I Don't Wanna Come Back

Well after last weeks session things were starting to look good again at Stevenage after an average start in my eyes, despite us only requiring to avoid relegation. We were now 4th in the table but should really be higher.

So having lost 5-2 to Boston we went on and won the next few games in last week's session.

Well the upcoming line up of fixtures were to give our team a real test, Aldershot at home in the Vans Trophy, follwed by Yeovil and Swansea also at home, then Huddersfield, Doncaster and Cambridge away rounded up with an FA Cup clash versus high flying second division Bristol Rovers.

Well our journey began, Aldershot came to our home and within seconds of the kick off, they run down left wing, cross and bang it in, great start, 1-0 Aldershot. Well the team picked themselves off the ground and played like they should, Huckerby used his fantastic pace and dribbling skills to go through the Aldershot defence and managed to score a brace, his effort was followed my on-loan striker Blinkhorn making it a 3-1 win and we advance to the quarter finals. 3-1 Final Score

Yeovil next and it looked to be a real battle of a game, but nope, Yeovil decided that they could not be bothered to play and we completely dominated the game and gave them a good hiding as again Blinkhorn scored making it 2 games 2 goals for him, great start for the lad. Then club captain Juliusson also put one in followed by four goals from the man of the moment Huckerby. 6-0 Final Score

Once again we had another home fixture, this time again Swansea who are top of the league and 14games unbeaten in a row, well done to the welsh but we wernt going to let them continue, so an inspirational Juliusson started by scoring a cracker, followed by Humphreys and on-loan star Blinkhorn who makes it 3 in 3. 3-1 Final Score

We went on a trip to Huddersfield next, they were doing alright, mid table, but it just wasnt good enough,they thought they could sit down against the newly promoted side and got punished for it as Laker and Humphreys started the scoring with once again on fire Huckerby scoring an amazing four goals. 6-0 Final Score

The next game would be tricky though, Juliusson was injured and could not inspire the team, so in came fellow country man Johannsson, he showed great skill and once again Huckerby scored followed by former Man utd youngster Poole.

Final score 2-0

Cambridge were next, a very good side who are currently in the play offs, the game was end to end and they played a 4-2-4 formation, then they scored, havnt not played awfully well I changed to 4-3-3 which certainly did the trick as we dominated the midfield and scored two goals, both from Icelandic team mates Porarinson and Johannsson. Final Score 2-1

Its that Magical Cup, yes it was once again FA Cup time, its the 2nd round of the FA Cup and we're facing high flying second division side Bristol Rovers, we beat their rivals City last season and we're hoping to do a double over Bristol.....and we did We took an early lead through the one and only Huckerby, then it went 1-1 and Bristol were starting to play a little better but just not good enough as a Huckerby solo effort sealed the tie. Final Score 2-1.

So a fantastic session for the Stevenage outfit and it also now makes it 11 games won in a row for us, we've also now moved up in the table into the automatic promotion spots and are second in the league, hopefully next session we will finally top the table and continue our sensational form that we have at present.

[dogs]

11 in a row, bloody hell Steve, you must have some tactic

[gazjuk]

Accrington Vs Farnborough

A goal from Somerville on 17 mins looked the start of what could be a hammering for Stanley Vs Farnborough. But that was not to be as Stanley held on till half time with the score still just 1-0. Then goals on 87 and 72 mins from Stanley’s Sean Devine were totally against the run of play to put Stanley in the lead. This lead though was short lived as Farnborough’s Somerville scored his second of the game to equalize.

Accrington Vs Forrest Green

The first half in this game was dominated by Stanley with Forest Green not having a single shot on or off target. With Accrington pouring on the pressure it was only a matter of time before they took the lead and they did in the 36th min though a goal by Justin Jackson as a long ball over the defense left Sean Devine with space on the left or the area to put in a cross which Jackson put away past the Forest Green keeper. In the second half Forest Green got back in the game but a late penalty scored by substitute Hindle settled the game in the last few minutes of the game

Accrington Vs Exeter

With the first chance of the game Stanley took the lead when a weaving run from Justin Jackson finished superbly ending his magnificent run. This proved to be the only real action of the first half. The second half started the same as the first ended with neither team posing a threat. Stanley’s second goal came when a hopeful long ball wasn’t cleared but the Exeter defense and Jackson was able to finish giving Accrington a 2 goal cushion that they held on to claim the 3 points.

Kettering Vs Accrington

Only 7 mins gone and Accrington though they had got the perfect start when Devine beat the defender in the air to set Jackson through who chipped to keeper only for it to be disallowed for offside. It was only 4 mins later that Accrington did take the lead when Calcutt was brought down in the box for a pen which Jackson put away from the spot. A good ball from Norman found Prendergast on the left who picked out Devine who put the ball in the net to put Accrington 2-0 up within 17 mins. Then another finish from Devine on 37 mins put the game past Kettering in the first half and sent Stanley to the top of the league.

Halifax Vs Accrington

A nice ball through from Quinn found Elam with space and when his shot was save the rebound fell kindly to Graeme Porter who put the ball into the empty net from inside the area. A great run and cross from Prendergast left Justin Jackson the simple task of equalizing for Stanley from close range on 57 mins. Calcutt then met a Prendergast corner at the front post to put Stanley 2-1 up on 84 mins and Calcutt then capped off a superb game with a great cross from the right to set Devine up with a simple finish from close range.

[rouchie]

Up where we belong – 04/05

As Winter starts to bite and the dark days are upon us, West Ham are still defying all of the preseason odds by steering well clear of the relegation zone!

4th December 2004 - Vs Portsmouth (H)

Harry Redknapp returns to Upton Park as manager of Pompey, managing a team sitting in the exact position that the bookies had predicted for the Hammers – A relegation struggle! Things start well with West Ham piling on the pressure, but no score as half time is reached. The second half see’s West Ham finally get some reward for their dominance with Defoe netting. Berger equalises for the visitors totally against the run of play. 1-1 the final score and the home crowd leave feeling as if they have been robbed!

8th December 2004 - Vs Rushden (H) – League cup 4th Round

Next to visit the chapel of Claret and Blue worship were Rushden in a surprisingly close encounter as the first division high fliers went all out for the win. West Ham defended well and nicked a goal via Thu on half time. The second half was a different affair as Rushden tired and the Hammers took control, Oskarsson added to the earlier goal to give West Ham a more comfortable 2-0 result.

13th December 2004 - Vs Tottenham (H)

Spurs were next up at the Boleyn, and the third home game in a row for West Ham! David Connolly scored mid way through the first half to give the home side a deserved lead which took the hammers to half time at 1-0. Acimovic pulled one back for the yids in the 2nd half and despite some very close efforts from West Ham, that was how it remained. 1-1 at full time.

13th December 2004 - Vs Blackburn (H)

The 4th Home game in a fortnight for the hammers! Defoe set the pace in the first half but Blackburns Kleft equalised in the second, overall 1-1 was a fair result. The score is becoming somewhat familiar though?

22nd December 2004 - Vs Man Utd (H) - League Cup Quarter Final

Apparently the team coach is in for repairs and the FA have agreed that West Ham don’t have to bother with away games til its fixed! 5th home game in a row and the best performance is saved until last! A one man show from David Connolly puts the Hammers 2 in front until Giggs replies to make it 2-1 to West Ham at Half time> DC completes his hat trick in the second half, Kanoute replies late on, but the hammers cruise into the League cup Semi Final on the back of Connolly’s hat trick! 3-2

26th December 2004 - Vs Chelsea (A)

West Ham travel away from the Boleyn for the first time in a number of weeks, and it is obviously a disagreeable expedition as the Hammers surrender to two goals from Joe Cole and Adrian Mutu to lalow Chelsea a 2-0 win, Boo!

29th December 2004 - Vs Liverpool (H)

Back to the Boleyn, Hyypia sent offon 32, Oliseah scores on 33, Connolly on 35 and Defoe on 40, 3-0 at Half Time, Defoe grabs his brace on 66 to make it 4-0 to West Ham against the mighty scousers. What a sweet finish to 2004!

[Andy H]

TIGERS UPDATE

Next up was a was a tricky away tie on paper against Swindon. Although it proved to be a different ball game on the pitch as Hull devestated their opponents with an awesome performance. Goals from Danny Allsopp and Porhallsson getting a brace as Hull went into overdrive in this game.

After this performance things were looking up at The Circle but in retrospect it did not quite happen like that. A game at home against Grimsby started a downward spiral for Hull as they would only to take 1 point from the next six league games. That point coming against Chesterfield in a 2-2 draw with goals from Ritchie "injury prone but potential superstar" Partridge and Stuart Elliot. The defeats came against Grimsby, Blackpool, Wigan, Plymouth and Cheltenham.

Finally they managed to win against Wycombe away in a fine performance to ease the fans nerves as the were starting to feel a bit jittery due to the recent run of form. Goals from Stuart Elliot and Danny Allsopp eased those nerves but it should have been more but in the end Hull had to settle for two.

Next up it was back to the Cirlce for the visit of Colchester. This was another vintage performance from Hull as they took Colchester apart with an awesome display of passing and moving. It was one way traffic as Hull put on a show for the fans who had been starved of a decent Hull performance at The Circle in recent weeks. again they created chance after but Hull did not put most of them away but did manage to score twice through goals from Stuart Elliot and Porhallsson.

Next up was a tough away trip at Barnsley. It proved to be tough in a very even encounter with both sides creating numerous chances and in the end a 2-2 draw was a fair result although Hull will feel slightly aggreived with the result but it was another game without defeat so Hepburn was happy. Goals came from Elliot and Allsopp who were both starting to hit some form.

Hull continued in this vain of form in the next few games as they defeated Tranmere, Notts County and Stockport 4-0, 3-0 and 4-0 respectively. At last Hull's strikers were finding the back of the net after a barren spell. In particular Stuart Elliot who notched all four goals in the game against Tranmere in a stunning individual performance. Loan signing Stewart Downing has to get a mention as he has been outstanding since his arrival from Boro on loan.

Then came Hepburn's first human v human clash as Hull visited London Road for the powerkeg clash against Edan Waldman's Peterbrough. The fans and both sets of players were really up for this game. The first half saw Peterbrough storm into a two goal lead in a fairly even first half but Hull pulled it back in an amazing recovery to win 3-2. Goals from Allsopp and another brace from Porhallsson won the match for Hull in a great team effort. It also meant another game unbeaten for Hull who were moving up the table nicely.

With this current run Hull were really wanting to take on anyone. Next up for them in the league was a trip to Lincoln. This was a game where Hull were outplayed as Lincoln played superbly well and had much of the play for long spells. Again they could not convert this possession into goals as Hull snatched a 1-1 draw courtesy of a spectacular Paulinho strike two minutes from time to deny Lincoln a deserved win. Hull knew they had played poorly but this a sign of champions, playing badly and still not losing.

This run still continued as Hull won their next three league games with successive 2-0 wins although more goals should have been the outcome in these games. Stuart Elliot was a target a few times during this run. During this run they had beaten Bournemouth, Ipswich and Reading which was potentially a tough game but turned out to be a great Hull performance.

Next up to what was becoming a bit of a fortress was Torquay. Again the visiting team walked away with nothing as Hull turned in another good performance as they won 1-0 but the scoreline flattered Torquay in truth as Hull bombarded them for 90 minutes.

Vans Trophy

In the past this competition has proved to be an anti climax for Hull. Last season knocked out by Blackpool in the second round. This season has however proved more fruitful for the Tigers. They find themselves in the semi final against Shrewsbury after good wins against Notts County, Chesterfield and Hartlepool. Hepburn has been quoted saying he does fancy his team's chances of reaching there first major final under Hepburn's management. This has yet to be seen though.

The FA Cup

So far so good in the famous cup as Hull have made there way to the third round where they face top of the table Bristol City. This is a tough draw but Hepburn feels it is winnable.

Stars of the Season so far

Hull have had a few stars this season that have helped turn their season around after a troublesome start. Thee star man has to be Stuart Elliot who has been sensational playing in an attacking midfield role and has been in freescoring form for the tigers. Other standout players have been Guy Branston in defence who has weighed in with his fair share of important goals. Loan signing Stewart Downing has been a revelation in midfield along with Paulinho who seems to be enjoying his football at The Circle again after some transfer speculation unsettled the young starlet. Ritchie Partridge is starting to get some games under his belt after a disasterous start to the season with injuries. Up front the consistent Allsopp has been banging them in with some help from Porhallsson. All in all things are starting to go well at The Circle under Hepburn's management.

[rouchie]

Whatever happened to the website Gaz was building for our clan? is it still a goer or is it now a dead dodo?

[Andy H]

Yeah Gaz thought you were gonna get it sorted over Christmas .

[gazjuk]

hi lads sorry not had alot of time to sort the web site as you know i havent even had time to play the game.

will try and work on it when i get chance but not promising anything.

see you all tonight

[rouchie]

Lightweight

[Andy H]

Lightweight

Wake up Gaz you twat